She continues to release numerous solo albums and collaborations and has composed the soundtrack for a horror game entitled The Path.
Coming to rock and experimental music from a complex, fascinating background (both her parents were FBI agents; her upbringing in the South included such elements of extreme American religious faith as snake-handling ceremonies; and before her direct involvement in music she participated in "unorthodox sex work," to use her own words, in various U.S. cities), Jarboe, who has always preferred to be known by her sole name, has long been known as one of the fiercest spirits in modern music. She is an intelligent and aggressive artist possessed of striking musical skill who has rejected the music industry's all-too-easy stereotyping and exploitation to create shockingly powerful visions. Helping strongly in this is her one-of-a-kind vocal talent, ranging from emotive blues/gospel tones to wild shrieking, matching excellently with her wide-ranging preference in musical styles. Joining the band Swans two years after it came into being, Jarboe soon became the co-leader of the band with founder Michael Gira; together the pair released some of the most striking, musically extreme recordings of recent years, both as Swans and as the side project band Skin. Jarboe's solo career began in earnest in 1992 with the release of Thirteen Masks, followed a couple of years later by a collaborative effort released under the name Beautiful People with Larry Seven, who also worked on Thirteen Masks and various Swans tracks before that time. The next official release was 1995's Sacrificial Cake, described as a "Swans Related Product," and released in concert with Gira's own solo debut, Drainland. After this, Swans took precedence as she and Gira finished the group's farewell albums and tours; her first post-Swans release, Anhedoniac, appeared in 1998. Shortly thereafter she made a trip to Israel for artistic inspiration for a planned follow-up, Disburdeen Disciple. However, she contracted an illness while visiting there, leading to hospitalization on return to America. A sampler for Disciple has appeared as a teaser, but the main album itself was not completed or ready for release. A collaboration with Telecognac, titled Over, appeared in 2000.
http://www.thelivingjarboe.com
Unreal
Jarboe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our experience will blend us in your sight Our
Experience will blend us in with the stars No
We'll never know how unreal we are And when the
Cool light flows and 10 million sleep Our
Experience will blend in with your sightless
Dreams,
Unreal
Through the sky And we'll shine like steel in a
Clear white fire We'll taste your honey mouth and
Kiss your eyes like mirrors And fill your body up
With 10 million tears Our experience is shiffing,
Your body's made of clear light We'll blend in
With your image - a picture draamed by the
Blind,
Unreal.
In the song "Unreal", Jarboe talks about a future where humans will experience a collective consciousness, and they will blend in with the universe. She uses imagery of light and stars to talk about the spiritual nature of this experience. The song opens with the line "When the cool light flows through 10 million minds, our experience will blend us in your sight", which refers to a moment of transcendence where people will see beyond themselves and recognize their interconnectedness with others and the world. The second verse of the song talks about how this experience will happen while people sleep and dream, which implies that it will be a subconscious realization. The use of the word "dreams" instead of "reality" also adds to the surreal and mystical quality of the song.
The third stanza of the song suggests that this experience will be telepathic, bringing people together through their thoughts and minds. The lyrics "we'll shine like steel in a clear white fire" suggests that this will be a transformative experience that will strengthen people's souls and spirits. The phrase "kiss your eyes like mirrors" likens the experience to self-reflection and introspection, as people come to understand themselves better through their connectedness with others. Finally, the phrase "a picture dreamed by the blind" refers to the idea that this experience will be something beyond human understanding, a realization that can only be grasped by those who are willing to see beyond the physical world.
Overall, the song "Unreal" speaks to the human longing for connection and transcendence. The lyrics are poetic and philosophical, urging listeners to see beyond themselves and recognize their place in the universe. The use of light and stars as motifs adds to the spiritual qualities of the song, making it a profound meditation on the nature of humanity and consciousness.
Line by Line Meaning
When the cool light flows through 10 million minds
As people become more interconnected and influenced by one another, a sense of shared experiences arises
Our experience will blend us in your sight
As our experiences converge, our individuality fades into a collective consciousness
Our experience will blend us in with the stars
Through shared experiences, we begin to feel like we are part of something larger than ourselves
No We'll never know how unreal we are
Despite our sense of connection, we remain unaware of the extent to which our perceptions are constructed by society and our own biases
And when the Cool light flows and 10 million sleep
Despite our shared experiences, we all still possess our own unique subjective experiences
Our experience will blend in with your sightless Dreams
At times, our shared experiences may blend with our unconscious thoughts and desires
Unreal
Our sense of reality and self is ultimately shaped by forces beyond our understanding or control
Through telepathy we'll shoot Through the sky
As we start to share experiences, the boundaries between our individual minds begin to blur
And we'll shine like steel in a Clear white fire
As we connect more fully with others, we begin to radiate a sense of inner strength and power
We'll taste your honey mouth and Kiss your eyes like mirrors And fill your body up With 10 million tears
Our connection with others can bring both joy and pain depending on the nature of the experiences
Our experience is shifting, Your body's made of clear light
As we continue to connect with others, our perception of reality and Self can continually shift and change
We'll blend in With your image - a picture dreamed by the Blind
In many ways, our understanding of reality is constructed- shaped by our own biases and the biases of society until the distinction between reality and perception is blurred
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Josh Paul Davis, Jules Merrill Blattner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind